hit a curb need help
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 323
Likes: 0
From: Austin Texas
hit a curb need help
I hit a curb sunday with my passenger rear... broke the curb, bent my rim and tie rod,,, so i fixed the tie rod and took it to get realighned and the guy there tried and said that something else is bent and that he has the cam bolt all the way out and that he thinks that it is the knuckel... i took it apart last night and looked at the ball joints and the knuckel cant tell that any of it is bent,,, i ordered new rims they will get to me friday... any sugesstions?
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 323
Likes: 0
From: Austin Texas
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 323
Likes: 0
From: Austin Texas
HAHAHAHAHAH,,, I wish... i live in austin tx and my vette is as low as it gets and the shop i went to is the only one that has a machine that my car will fit on... plus this guy work in nascar setting up car alinghnments (man i cant spell),, he definently knows what he is talking about,, but he wasnt real sure what else was bent,, and he didnt charge me anything
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 7,370
Likes: 8
From: Slave to the evil empire
Cruise-In V Veteran
St. Jude Donor '04
HAHAHAHAHAH,,, I wish... i live in austin tx and my vette is as low as it gets and the shop i went to is the only one that has a machine that my car will fit on... plus this guy work in nascar setting up car alinghnments (man i cant spell),, he definently knows what he is talking about,, but he wasnt real sure what else was bent,, and he didnt charge me anything
Well the important thing is to have a knowledgable person doing the alignment.
Now you've got me curious, I have the rear suspension pulled out of a Coupe at the house and when I get home I'll look it over and see if I can come up with an idea.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 323
Likes: 0
From: Austin Texas
well im pulling my hair out here,,, i really apreciate any help you can give me,,, mine is on jack stands , keep getting under it with a shop light thinking im going to see something that i didnt see before,,,,
Team Owner
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 23,682
Likes: 9
From: Flagstaff Az.
Since you have it up on stands, I would take some measurements from bad side and good side suspension components to see if you have any differences in parts that should be the same. Sometimes the eyes aren't just good enough. 
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 323
Likes: 0
From: Austin Texas
now why didnt i think about that,,,, ok now i have to find a measuring tape... ill get back to yall in a min and let yall know what i find out,,, wow,, i feel dumb,,, thanks man
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 323
Likes: 0
From: Austin Texas
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 4,933
Likes: 30
From: San Rafael CA
I'm gonna guess you bent the spindle the wheel bearings mount on, which is an integral part of the knuckle. My ex-wife bent the spindle when she curbed her Oldsmobile a few years ago ... had the same problem as you, couldn't get it to align until the spindle was replaced.
HTH
HTH
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 7,370
Likes: 8
From: Slave to the evil empire
Cruise-In V Veteran
St. Jude Donor '04
After looking at the rear suspension I have laying out I still think it could be a lower control arm since it's so long but at the same time the knuckle isn't as beefy as I originally thought.
If it were my car I'd replace the easiest and cheapest part first.
If it were my car I'd replace the easiest and cheapest part first.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 323
Likes: 0
From: Austin Texas
i almost wonder if it is the cam bolt or the sway bar mount/ lower a arm bolt.... i get my rims friday.. i think ill just put them on and take it back to that guy and see if it was in the rim... but i am reall starting to think it is the hub bearing
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 323
Likes: 0
From: Austin Texas
well the curb pushen in at the bottom... it turned the cam bolt all the way in which is located on the lower a arm. so it would have had to pull on the uper a arm to be the opposing force,, and in that it would have been less force ,,,, so with that being said if there is any frame bendage it would be the lower structure of the suspension ... and the upper a arm is attached to steel frame,, the lower is aluminum... ive looked the lower over and it is the way it should be,,, the weak link is the first to go... so my tie rod was bent,,, rim obviously,, and it turned my cam bolt,, a ball joint would be too thick to bend before anything else would break,,, so i think that it is down to the second lower a arm bolt,, the knuckle or the hub bearing... has any one ever done this before?
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 2,787
Likes: 139
From: center of Kalifornia
You said everything measures the same, but did you take measurements from different points on the knuckle to let's say some point on the frame and compare to the other side. This is the only way to begin to see if it is bent because of all the angles of the knuckle. If you are not sure go to a pro, someone who will not use the shotgun approach. Many shops just start changing parts till they get it and then had you the bill and say they are all bent. That is 
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 7,370
Likes: 8
From: Slave to the evil empire
Cruise-In V Veteran
St. Jude Donor '04
Most of the bent frame rails that are seen on the salvage Corvettes come from direct contact on the frame itself during an accident not from indirect contact caused by the suspension bending.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 323
Likes: 0
From: Austin Texas
You said everything measures the same, but did you take measurements from different points on the knuckle to let's say some point on the frame and compare to the other side. This is the only way to begin to see if it is bent because of all the angles of the knuckle. If you are not sure go to a pro, someone who will not use the shotgun approach. Many shops just start changing parts till they get it and then had you the bill and say they are all bent. That is